Smiling
by archangel fighter
Summary: KEK
1. Smile

Yeah yeah, you know the drill. I own nothing but my OC, yu-gi-oh belongs to its respective owners, yadda yadda. Read, review, etc. :/

Smiling, Ayume took a look around the beach that Ryou had taken her.

"This is lovely, Ryou. Thank you very much for bringing me here."

Inhaling deep into her nose, she felt the soft, cool evening summer air brush her face. The salt licked at her lips, and the sound of the waves lightly roared in her ears. She wasn't lying. It was beautiful. But the youth that she was with wasn't paying attention to any of the things that she was. He had his eyes fixated on the way that she had her head titled up, her neck exposed. They way her eyes were closed, leaving her so unaware. Her hands held loosely at her sides, her whole body lax. Her brown hair that reached to her middle back, so easy to grab and turn against her. Her eyes that matched her hair, when open, would dilate in fear.

He chuckled, and felt his heart speed up in preparation for what was about to take place.

"It is quite lovely, but not nearly as lovely as you, Ayume."

"Th-thank you, Ryou." The girl brought her attention to him, looking slightly confused, if a little embarrassed.

"He cares for you deeply, you know. That's why I decided, against his wishes to test you, to see if you really are worthy of either of our attentions."

"Ryou-kun, what are you talking abou-"

"First off, I am not Ryou." He growled darkly, cutting her off. "Therefore, I do not feel as much empathy for you as he does. Regardless of the fact that I am essentially him, and he me, I do feel feelings for you. But, that is what will make this even more entertaining."

"What are you talking about?"

"You will refer to me as Bakura. To make things little easier on Ryou, simply understand that I am a part of him, but a much darker, more sinister part. I am a part that will never be taken away, no matter how hard he tries or wishes otherwise." He grinned maniacally at her and began to chuckle. At that moment, Ayume saw all that she had failed to see before. There was a shadow to his face, his eyes. His hair was even more malevolent looking, more bat-like. But even more of a change was his demeanor. He held himself regally, arrogantly. Not the way shy, sweet Ryou that she had come to love did. This man was not lying. Her heart sped up, and she felt adrenaline being dumped into her veins. A cold sweat broke over her, and she felt that feeling had been lost to most of her body. Her mind screamed at her to _go! Run!_ But she remained where she was, rooted to the ground.

"I see. Well, your silence will make this much easier on you, love." As Bakura made his way towards her, she broke her silence. "This isn't funny, just leave me alone!" She turned and ran, spurred with the rush of adrenaline. She hardly felt her body moving, dazed as she was. However, she hardly got a hundred feet before a weight slammed into her, bringing her to the ground. Ramming her leg into where she assumed his groin area was, she listened with mirth as he cursed. "Commendable performance, my dear, I see you are not completely spineless. Very well then, I accept your challenge. Breaking you will be very fun." He bit her ear, and, with a quick blow to the back of her head, knocked her out.

************************************************************************She awoke, only to be greeted with the sensation of been through a huge tumble dryer with several large boulders. She tried moving her limbs, finding with no small amount of alarm that they were bound; her arms above her head, her legs to pegs near where she was tethered. Lifting her head, she could see the pegs in the ground that her arms were tied to.

"So, sleeping beauty awakes. Welcome, my love, to the world of the living." Bakura chuckled lightly, with little humor.

"I don't know what you have planned, but you should know, my family and friends-"

"Don't try to bullshit me, girl. It's not working. You and I both know that the only friend in the world you have is right here. And as for your family, I know that your _parent_ left about a month or two ago. You're all alone."

Once again, she felt a cold sweat begin working its way along her body. She felt the beginnings of terror rise up in her chest. Tears clouded her vision. _No, no crying yet. He hasn't even done anything!_

"Anyways, this will be more fun if you were untied." He said as he raised a butcher knife and began sawing at her confines. She cried out in alarm when she saw the knife; she couldn't help it. "I needed to make sure you couldn't run away while I gathered the necessary materials. Almost…done."

Straddling her, he cleaned the remaining filaments that clung to the butcher knife, and, in one sweeping motion, cut straight through her top. Mewling, she went to cover herself, but before she could, Bakura pushed them down to her sides. "If these arms move from where I have placed them, then I will stab you in the stomach with this knife. Understood?" Ayume nodded weakly and abruptly cried out as he brought the knife down unto her arm. "I asked you: understood?" "Ye-yes." "…Good." And he followed the mark with another one. Slowly dragging the blade across her forearm, she gasped in pain as she felt the blade catch and dig into her skin. She whimpered, but dared not pull her arm away. Switching to her other arm, he made the exact same slices, occasionally stopping and looking at her other arm for references. Ayume was at her wits end. Her low pain threshold only served to make her want to curl up and cry. Her tears pooled, and unashamedly, she let them fall. She closed her eyes, only to have them shoot open when something wet slid over her face. Bakura licked the rest of her tears off of her cheeks, and, smirking at her, peeled open her ruined shirt. Whimpering, she gasped and screamed as her dug the blade in deep into the sensitive area beneath her breasts. Laughing mirthlessly as he did, he slowly began digging his way around her chest. Ayume began to cry again. After a few minutes of the torture, he reached a particularly sensitive spot and she brought her hands up on reflex, trying to push him away. Growling, he lifted the blade out of her body and brought it back down, a little ways lower. "What did I say?" He asked quietly, in complete contradiction to her wailing screams. "I do not go back on my word dear, that you shall soon see." The knife broke deep skin, and soon he was at her flesh, licking up the blood. "Everything about you-your skin, your tears, even your blood- is so sweet. I find it quite intoxicating." Ayume moaned in disgust as he finished running his tongue down the blade. "What, are you upset that you didn't get any?" And, as she widened her eyes, he bent down to her face and kissed her, aggressively pushing her mouth open and letting the tendrils of her blood saturate her palate. She whimpered, and he only intensified the kiss, harshly biting her lips and curling his fingers in her hair. Swollen, and in some places bleeding, her lips throbbed as he straightened up, softly sliding the blade down her chest, between her breasts, and down to what she realized was a half finished kanji. He grinned at her and began his pursuit with renewed vigor. Ayume merely whimpered and tried to fight the urge to push him off, to pull the knife away. After what seemed like an eternity, he set the knife to the side ad admired his handiwork.

"There. Now Ryou knows who _really_ owns you, sweet." She lifted her head, and saw with abhorrence at what he had carved into her flesh. The kanji for _Yami_, or, Darkness was sitting right in the middle of her chest. A large, and rather painful addition, she tenderly lay back down on the ground and looked at her arms. He had carved _Yami _on both forearms, and although they still bled profusely, paled in comparison to the one on her chest. A few stray tears still made their trek along her face; their salty content finding no refuge until they hit the ground. Ayume was soaked with sweat and unshed tears. Her head felt dizzy, and she could feel sleep pulling at her, the blood loss becoming too much. Her eyes drooped, and she shrieked as cold water was splashed on her. I can't have you sleeping when the fun has only begun, now can I?" Bakura's voice cut the air like a knife. As he straddled her again, she could see the disdain in his eyes. "Oh come now. I went easy on you. Compared to the hell I put Ryou through, this is nothing." Recognition flashed in Ayume's mind as she remembered the bruises he had tried to hide, the cuts that had flecks of blood on his shirts. _And all of that from this man-this thing._ Though still pained, anger sparked a few rebellious thoughts in Ayume's mind. "So you were the bastard who did all of that to Ryou? What the hell were you expecting to gain from something like that? Did it make you feel powerful? Picking on someone who couldn't do anything to stop it? People like you make me sick, you poor son of a bitch." she hyperventilated, her mind catching up to what she had just said, what she had just done. Her fear mounted, and the uncharacteristic outburst seemed like the dumbest thing she had ever done. Bakura just sat there, staring at her. Suddenly, he began to laugh. "I had you pegged all wrong. I appreciate a woman who speaks her mind like that. Although you will pay for the disrespect, I welcome the gesture." Still chuckling, Bakura set aside the knife that she had only just realized he still had. Closing her eyes, Ayume tried to focus on something else to occupy her thoughts. _You never said that this would be easy, so go on live. This is the time to let yourself go, Lord pick me off the ground, you never said this would be simple, so pull me in and turn around._ The lyrics offered little respite, however, and she started when she felt a smack across her face. Eyes shooting open, the sight that greeted her was a slightly irritated Bakura. "If I am going to be putting forth the effort into you, girl, then I expect at least the consideration of your attention to enjoy it."  
>"Y-yes, Bakura." She answered meekly, and whimpered as he bent close over her body. Nuzzling into her neck, he nipped at it, and chuckled when he heard her resulting whimper. Holding her arms above her head with one of his hands, he slipped his other hand between her legs. "Stop, please!" Ayume gasped out. Ignoring her plea, Bakura pulled the offending material off. Spreading her legs, he positioned himself over her. Letting go of her hands, he slipped his pants down. Putting his arms on either side of her head, he smirked when she glared at him. "Calm down love, and enjoy it." That was all the warning she got before he pushed inside of her. Ayume felt something tear inside of her, and she began to cry anew. Although she wept, no tears escaped. It felt so strange, so wrong. And it hurt. Badly. She just wanted it to stop. But Bakura obviously had other plans. He didn't stop. On the contrary, he ground ever harder into her. Lifting her leg over his shoulder, Ayume cried out and arched her back against the ground. After a few more painful seconds, Ayume found that the aching feeling had gone away. She had started to respond, pushing against him in tandem. Pulling her leg back off of him, Ayume pushed forward to sit in his lap, still thrusting in sync with him. Eyes closed, she had her arms around his neck, her forehead resting on his shoulder. She began to moan, and this prompted Bakura to drive into her with renewed vigor. Ayume gasped and clutched at him for support. "Bakura, I-" Her sentence was cut short by the cry that made its way through her throat. She collapsed on him, breathing heavily. Her eyes began to close, and she passed out, the entire affair finally taking its toll on her. Chuckling darkly, Bakura lifted her up and clothed himself. He started to put her clothes back on, but grinned as another idea presented itself.<p>

_Stupid Ryou. How dare you think that you owned something all your own. I hope you see how wrong you were. _

Groaning, Ayume woke up late the next morning to the most painful aches she'd ever had. When the events of the previous night flooded back into her mind, she shot up from under the covers that had been placed on her, ignoring the complaints of her body. Looking around the small living room that she realized was Ryou's, her eyes were drawn to a small, huddled figure sitting in a chair a little ways from her. It took her a few seconds to realize that it was Ryou.

"Ryou, I-"

"I don't think there is any way for me to express how sorry I am. You can stay here until you heal, and then you can go wherever you want."

Stunned into silence, Ayume could do nothing but sit there and stare at him like an idiot. "What do you mean? Why would I leave? What about you? Are you okay? Ryou, god dammit, ANSWER ME." She said the last part with such force that Ryou looked up from his perch on the chair. Ayume was shocked with what she saw. He had obviously been crying. A lot. His eyes were sunken, and he had a haunted look. There was also a deep misery, and a look of apology. Ayume hated it. That look didn't belong there. It wasn't Ryou. Clenching her fists, she looked at him dead on. "Stop looking like you just murdered somebody." "But-" "Shut the hell up," Ayume said, her anger and fear pushing the words out of her. "I really don't care what you say, but you are going to explain what happened. And you are going to stop looking so god damned pitiable. It's pathetic." He looked at her, and took a deep breath. Ayume sat through his whole story, never one looking away from his face, never once interrupting. When he was done, she lay back down and looked back up at the ceiling. "That explains what he said last night. That whole 'I'm a part of Ryou. A darker part, etc.'" She closed her eyes and sighed. "So, what do we do about him?"

Ryou, shocked, looked up at her. "What on earth do you mean?" "Well, is there really no way to get rid of him?" "Unfortunately." Still looking up at the ceiling, Ayume took a little longer to respond. "Wow. That's going to be quite difficult to live with."

"What are you talking about?" Ryou asked, shocked. "I was just saying how hard it was going to be to live with a malevolent spirit like that." Ayume answered, as though she were talking to a child. "You don't understand Ayume. He is more than malevolent. He did all of that to you because he thought that I was getting audacious, thinking that I could have something that he couldn't. That's the way he is. I don't think I could forgive myself if you got involved."

Ayume merely stared at him. "What makes you think I hadn't already realized that? That I hadn't already known that he was a controlling psychopath? I don't want to lose you, Ryou. You're worth more to me than he is. If I have to put up with him to get to keep you, it's more than worth it to me. I don't care if you don't agree with me, that's how I feel, and nothing can change that much."

Ryou sat still for a long time. After a while, he got up and went to kneel by her. Aware of her injured arms, he wrapped his arms around her shoulders and buried his face into her dark hair. "If I were being honest, I would say that that's what I wanted to hear. I'm selfish for thinking so, but I really didn't want to lose you, either."

They sat there for a time, holding each other. "Sing to me." Ayume said. "I'm tired, and I need something to comfort me."

Ryou said nothing. He held her to his chest, and placed his chin on the top of her head. After a short time, he opened his mouth and began to sing softly:

_You never said that this would be easy,  
>So go on live,<br>You never said that this would be easy,  
>So go on live.<br>This is the best part of the message,  
>And it only took one.<br>We live for what he's worth,  
>And that's more than you'll know.<br>he died for what he loved,  
>And what he loved was you.<br>I'll wait for you,  
>You know I'll wait for you,<br>I'll wait for you,  
>You know I'll wait for you.<br>You never said that this would be easy,  
>So go on live,<br>You never said that this would be easy,  
>So go on live.<em>

_Bow your head,  
>Go on live.<em>

_This is the time to let yourself go,  
>Lord pick me off the ground,<br>You never said this would be simple,  
>So pull me in and turn around.<em>

Looking down after he was done, he saw that she had fallen asleep. Lifting her up, he wrapped the blanket around them both, cradling her to his chest. Closing his eyes, Ryou quietly let go of the tears he had been holding in.  
>************************************************************************END. Yeah. Sorry, I know I should be working on Test of Time, but this was just nagging at me, "FUCKEN WRITE ME!" The stories, they have a mind of their own. Seriously.<br>Anyways, this was just little one-shot that I had bouncing around in my head. Hope you liked it, my first (shit) attempt at a lemon. He. He. ^.^" I'm such a prude, I have no experience, so I had to go back and re-read other fanfics for a small ground on which to stand. Anyways, I love reviews, good, bad, mediocre. Please leave one. T.T I need feedback. Thanks for reading and have a nice day!  
>-archangel <p>


	2. A minor prelude

Toast crumbs trickled down the front of her blouse, causing Ayume to glance down in irritation. She idly brushed her chest, and straightened her bowtie. She was almost to the front gates and a half hour early for school. As a result, there was little activity inside; though the profiles of students moving around inside could be seen through the windows. The sun glared in her eyes as she looked up at the school, and she blinked away the stars that assaulted her. Fresh morning air momentarily pulled long brown hair into her face and mouth. Spitting out the strands of hair, she shoved the rest of the toast into her mouth and used her other hand to push the hair behind her ears. She then switched her bookbag to her now empty hand, and continued into the school.

The day dragged, as usual. She paid half a mind to what the teacher was saying, and lost herself in the immersive world outside. Birds darted around, flying around and with each other. The sun peeked from behind tranquil clouds, and the sky was lit in a symphony of light and color. Looking out over the city skyline, the hustle and bustle of everyday life seemed far and distant. The bell ringing for lunch rang, jarring Ayume out of her reverie. Closing her notes, she piled her things into her desk and made her way to the lunchroom. Idly playing with her skirt, she walked through the tide of students and stepped into the fresh air outside. Looking around, she spotted a familiar pale face reading beneath a tree. Smiling, she settled beside him and opened her lunch.

"How was the lesson? I took notes, but wasn't really listening…" She began.

"Kind of critical, actually. Apparently there's going to be a whole section on the final about today's and yesterday's segment." Ryou responded apologetically. At her panic-stricken face, he began to laugh. "I'm kidding. It was just an expansion of yesterday and even at that, still fairly basic."

"That wasn't nice, Ryou." Ayume whined, smiling and laughing. She settled back down onto the tree, opening her lunch and unwrapping a sandwich. They sat in silence for a little while, the occasional flipping of a page and the crunch of a wrapper. Ayume finally broke the silence: "I made extra last night. I know you sometimes get…rushed in the mornings." She pushed the box towards Ryou. "Thank you. That's very kind." He said. Blushing, Ayume just nodded and leaned back, looking up and through the leaves to the sky.

"How's your father doing?" Ayume asked tentatively.

"He's gone again. Some site in Europe." Ryou answered calmly. "He'll be gone for a while this time. There's a lecture tour after he's done with the dig." "Ah. Er, well, you know, if you ever need someone while he's away, I'm always down the complex." Ayume offered. Ryou smiled at her. "Thanks very much, I'll keep that in mind." Closing his book, he handed her the lunch box. She took it, and before he retracted his hand, noticed a dark bruise on his wrist. Frowning, she only partly noticed that the bell had rung. "Uh, Ryou, how long has your father been gone?" Looking around in surprise, he paused to think. "At this point, I'd say about a week or so?" _But that bruise is too fresh for his father being gone for a week. Of course, he'd tell me that it was him being absentminded just like the last time I asked him. And the time before that…._Sighing, Ayume chose to let it go and give it deeper though later. Stopping by the trashcan, she threw her packaging away. Ryou extended his hand out as they reached the steps to the school. Taking it, Ayume bounced on her heels as they walked up the stairs while Ryou chuckled lightly at her antics.

Later in class, Ayume continued to fret over the injury she saw on Ryou. The only conclusion she could come to was that while charming though his father appeared, Ryou's father was abusing him and forcing him to lie about his departure dates. Though his story could be corroborated with a plane ticket, she had no access to such information. _Still doesn't clear him. I have no evidence to the contrary. _Frowning with unease, she doodled mindlessly on her notes. After what seemed like an eternity, the end of the day finally came. As the students around her bustled with activity, excited for the upcoming weekend, Ayume jumped at Ryou standing next to her desk, a small smile on his face.

"Do you have club this afternoon?" He asked.

"Nah. We had sectionals yesterday; we're off for the weekend." She responded. "I'll probably just review our pieces for a few hours on Sunday and I'll be golden."

"Wonderful. Then shall we-?" He gestured towards the door, picking up her bag in the same motion. "Ah, yes. Thanks." She smiled. The fresh cool air greeted them as they passed through the front gates. A small figure ran to Ryou. "Hey Ryou, Ayume!" They nodded back to him in response. "We're about to go to the game shop. Are you busy later?" He asked earnestly. Ryou looked apologetic "Uh, well, sorry Yugi. Ayume and I are headed back to the apartments. I'll hopefully catch you later though, okay?" Yugi looked slightly crestfallen, though a look of understanding passed between the two boys. "Alright then. Hope you guys have a good weekend!" He ran off to meet a group of people, pausing only to turn around and give Ayume a small look of concern. Ayume tilted her head as the group walked off, her face tinged with confusion. "You know, I can walk home alone if you'd rather-" Nonsense." Ryou cut her off. "I can always hang out with Yugi and friends another time." He gave her a comforting smile. Nodding, Ayume thought back to his departure. _Why on earth would Yugi look at me like that-?_ She wondered. A light touch on the shoulder broke her train of thought, pushing Yugi's antics to the back of her mind.

They walked slowly, enjoying the sunlight and watching the clouds that danced in shapes above them. Pointing up at the sky; "Look! Doesn't that one look like a sword in a stone?" Ayume exclaimed excitedly. She jumped up onto a nearby bench. Raising one leg slightly and holding her hand out in a fist like she was extending a sword, she said: "And one so true of heart is quite worthy of such a sword! Excalibur! May they defend Britain and indeed, the world!" Twisting and rotating her wrist, she began making "whoosh" noises. At the sound of clapping, she turned her head to look at Ryou. "What a performance! Perhaps you should have joined drama instead." He gasped between laughter. Giggling, she just stuck her tongue out. Jumping back down, Ayume straightened her skirt and waited for their laughter to abate. Still chuckling, Ryou picked up their bags and they continued on. "Look, a dragon for you to fight when saving the world gets to be too uneventful." Ryou said, peering up at the sky with a smile. Ayume scoffed. "Bah, how cliché! Give me something exciting! Wraiths, a Lich, anything!" Ryou didn't say anything, just watched her with a fascinated smile. Ayume continued, describing her ideal adventure, fighting creatures of darkness, saving a town, rescuing a princess. Ryou raised an eyebrow slightly, a smirk forming. Ayume didn't notice, just kept talking with fervor. "What do you think?" She asked abruptly, turning her head to look at him directly. "Every adventure has that special _thing._ I think mine's missing something…" No trace of his previous look remained, replaced instead by thoughtfulness and intrigue. "Hm. Personally, I think it's missing danger. No adventure is complete without a bit of…risk." Ayume looked at him in surprise. "I guess so, but doesn't that seem a bit morbid?" Ryou shrugged, "Regardless, there's no soul or life in adventures that have no danger. That's where the rush comes from." Ryou's eyes gleamed with a hungry light. Ayume noticed this, a slight frown growing on her face. "Ah. Here we are." Ryou said suddenly, looking at the complex in front of them. His face was clear, and when he looked at Ayume, his small smile was back. Ayume smiled back, still slightly unnerved from the sight she had before. When she began to move for the door to her side of the complex, Ryou grabbed her lightly by the wrist and stopped her. "Don't forget your bag." He said with a laugh. "Oh, thanks, totally forgot." She said. When he didn't let go, however, she looked at him questioningly. "I was also wondering…since you're taking a day off tomorrow, would you like to accompany me to the beach? I was thinking of taking a walk on the hills by the shore. It's a bit isolated, so it makes for great personal time." Ayume hesitated, and then smiled. "Of course. That sounds like fun!" Ryou visibly relaxed, and let go of her wrist. "Wonderful. Then I'll meet you at your apartment say around…10? We can stop for lunch before we go." "Sounds great, I'll see you then!" Ayume started to walk off, turned and waved, and continued on. As soon as her back was turned, Ryou stopped waving and the smile dropped from his face. A deep darkness marred his face, and as he walked towards the elevator, a smirk danced on his lips.

Well there it is. I had a request for Bakura and Ayume spending time together. This is what I came up with. This being a prelude to "Smiling", I might do a post one-shot as well. Thanks for reading, and once again, feedback, feedback, feedback. Tell me what I did wrong, did right, anything. Love you guys! 3


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